58 Wood Way

Great Notley

Braintree

Essex

CM77 7JS

Tel: 01376 345728

Email: cllr.csandbrook@braintree.gov.uk

Conservative Party Councillor for Great Notley & Braintree West

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Council Roles

- Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Involvement with Organisations within Braintree District and Elsewhere

- Braintree District Local Highways Panel

Dear Constituents,<>

It is my pleasure to serve as one of your District Councillors for the Ward of Great Notley. 

Since I became a Councillor in 2007 I have been able to consider how to ensure we are meeting the needs of people living and working in Great Notley. One of the things that attracted me to being a Councillor in the first place was that I had the chance to make a difference, and I think by being involved at both a District and Parish Councillor level I have been able to be a voice for Great Notley.

I know that communication is one of the things that Councillors need to work on, so I have set about creating a new website for the Great Notley Parish Council.  This website brings together information about our Ward as well as linking information in from the Braintree District Council website and other resources. I hope it will be a useful portal for people wanting to know more about Great Notley and that going forward we can receive contributions from more people.  We have also received £5,500 of external funding to develop a Parish Plan for Great Notley and I hope that the website will be one of the methods of communication that we can use to gather in people’s ideas and suggestions for taking this exciting project forward.

Looking wider than the Ward of Great Notley across the District of Braintree – and as a person who runs her own company – I am naturally interested in making sure that Braintree District Council offers value for money from the council tax contribution made by the public. I have to say that being involved with the Council has shown me how good our Officers are and how committed they are to doing a good job on behalf of everyone living in the Braintree District.

However, as with every organisation, the Council can’t stand still, and it needs input from Councillors to make sure that it is run efficiently and cost effectively. Through my position as a Deputy Portfolio Holder for Efficiency and Resources, I am looking to make sure that we drive the cost of running the Council down whilst at the same time looking to deliver quality services. Every organisation has to do this, and a local authority is no different. 

I can tell you that in my two-and-a-half years I have seen Council Officers work hard to anticipate the challenges of the current economic climate, and they use the funds that they have as efficiently as possible. In the coming year more decisions will have to be made about how to ensure the Council uses its funds for the benefit of customers. You can help shape those policies by emailing me or my colleagues with what services you think the Council should provide. We are also keen to learn of any areas where you may feel money is being used inefficiently, so please get in touch. I can tell you that all your thoughts will be fed through to the relevant Officers concerned as real feedback on what we are doing.

I look forward to hearing from you by email or telephone.